The difference the resurrection makes - Sermon notes

Here are the exact notes I printed out for a recent sermon that I gave at my church. The audio and video recording of the sermon can be found on the church website. http://www.christchurchatlanta.org/

Sunday, April 11, 2010, Trent McEntyre – preached at ChristChurch Presbyterian

Atlanta, GA

Personal, light-hearted greeting

Last week was Easter. We are going to be talking this morning about two important ways the resurrection can make a difference in our lives.

Intro – church staff answer question

When Paul Gardner asked me to teach this morning he asked me to do something as a follow up to Easter. So, this week at our church staff meeting I asked the church staff, the basic question of this message, what difference can the resurrection of Jesus Christ make in our lives? Everyone starts chiming in, from our Greg our music director to our Robin administrator. Then Pete Jackson, our associate Pastor, tells us that he read this week that a recent poll found that nationally 77% of Americans believe Jesus Christ rose from the dead on Easter. Pete, I hope you weren’t making that up, I am using it in my sermon.  So, as I was wondering  in my preparation, what percentage of Atlantans believes in the resurrection. More importantly I wonder what difference believing in the resurrection makes in the lives of average Atlantans?

We are going to look at 1 Corinthians 15, which is the earliest written account and commentary on the resurrection.

Context of Corinth, “Corinthianizing”

It was written by the Apostle Paul to the church in Corinth, a church that faced many challenges like divisions, immorality, and confusion in their worship services. Corinth was a port city. The city had a lot of advantages, great leaders, commerce, schools, and sports, including their own Corinthian games. The Corinthians lived for the moment. So, much so that their name had been turned into a verb, “Corinthianizing” which meant even, by pagan standards, to party out of bounds. When your name is turned into a questionable verb,  that is when you know you need help. So for example, your friend says, “Buddy has run off to Vegas to “McEntyre” his life away. That is not good. You are following in the tradition of the Corinthians. The good news was that Corinth was home to a growing church. But still they faced a number of problems being faithful.

(Connect and relate to Atlanta) It is easy to make a case that Atlanta is a lot like Corinth. We have lot going for us here. We are famous as the home of Coca Cola, Home Depot, the 1996 Olympics, and CNN. We probably have different issues when it comes to our understanding of the resurrection, but we can still learn a lot from this chapter about what the resurrection means and what difference it can make in our lives.

Here is the essence of what I have found, and we will unpack this morning:

The resurrection changes the way look at life, backwards and forward.

Tim Keller, came to the conclusion, while researching the reality of the resurrection during his cancer treatment, that the resurrection was much “more than a historical, philosophical issue…It is that, but much more. If it happened it changes our lives completely.” We want to look at how does the resurrection change everything, not just what happens to us when we face physical death, but what happens when we face the mirror in the morning.

1.     (Why we need to know this?)

(The Resurrection easy to forget) - I think it is easy to forget the resurrection. Easter was just last Sunday. But if I were not working all week on sermon about the resurrection, I am not sure how often “resurrection” would have been on my mind.

I don’t hear resurrection on NPR or Dave FM. Each week I see plenty of urgent needs, in the city and in my own life, that don’t immediately bring to mind the resurrection. I recently made a spreadsheet of 61 necessary house projects that I need to complete, none allude to the resurrection.

Not only is easy to forget, but it is also easy to underestimate.

Maybe this explains the statistic that 77% claim to believe in the resurrection? Maybe most of us believe in Jesus’ resurrection, but we don’t understand how it changed everything. We underestimate what the resurrection reveals to us about our futures. The resurrection might give us hope that our physical death is not the end, but we don’t have much more than that to look forward to. And since we are hope conditioned creatures, this is a big deal.

(Hope conditioned - Productivity test)Tim Keller tells the story of a productivity test in which two people are given identical jobs to do in identical factory setups. The first is told that she is going to be paid a modest $15,000 per year salary, the second worker is promised $1,500,000. The first worker starts out okay, but quickly starts to complain, this is boring…, the second person, works steadily, hey this is consistent, I can handle this I suppose…this is really is not that bad. What was the difference? It was their  hope. Their lives were conditioned by what they expected to receive in the end. You and I need a big, clear picture of our future or we will likely burn out or struggle with day to day faithfulness to what we know we ought to be doing with our lives.

2.     So, let’s look more closely at what difference the resurrection can make in our lives. What do we need to know about the resurrection for it to change us?

Let’s go back and look (1 Cor 15:3-10)

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.

a.     The first difference I want you notice is that the resurrection makes a difference in how you view the grace of God.

(Definition of Grace) The term grace is very common in the Bible and in every day use. It means everything from kindness to smooth dancing. In the New Testament it most often refers to God’s favor, forgiveness and acceptance which totally contrary to what we deserve.

Through the resurrection we see that the grace of God is not just an idea or a teaching. The grace of God is the result of what Jesus has already done in his death and resurrection. This was the most important thing that Paul and the apostles preached. He argues that the resurrection is the main thrust of the whole Bible. It was in “accordance with the scriptures” that Jesus died for our sins and arose from the dead on the third day.

(Point of resurrection appearances) This is why Paul mentions so carefully the resurrection appearances of Christ. He was verifying an event, not defending an idea. This would have been a defense against anyone who claimed that Jesus’ resurrection was just a spiritual idea and not something that really happened.

Paul reminds them that Jesus appeared alive in his flesh and bones to many witnesses. 1 Corinthians is dated with solid evidence to have been written in 55 A.D., just 22 years after the resurrection of Christ. Paul and the apostles could not have fabricated their report of all these witnesses to Jesus post resurrection appearances. All anyone had to do was go to Jerusalem and ask to speak with some of the witnesses.

If you are not sure yet about the Christian faith, hopefully, this gives you an example of the historicity of the faith. I get questions about this kind of thing regularly from skeptical university students.

The resurrection can make a difference in our lives because it is something God has done, not just what someone thinks about God. This is what the apostle Paul said happened to him. In verse 8, “And last of all he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain...”

The first thing we need to know about the difference faith in the resurrection produces is that it moves your understanding about the grace of God from a just a theological category to a historical category. We are what we are by the grace of God. Jesus did not come just to teach us about the grace of God, he came to accomplish or achieve the riches of God’s grace for us through his death and resurrection.

(Crucial for assurance) This is very crucial for us to have assurance that we are loved and accepted by God.  Jesus’ resurrection, because it confirmed and fulfilled everything that the scriptures teach about how we can be right with God, assures us that we really have the grace of God with us. It is not just a theory, that we are saved by God’s work and not our own, it is new reality. When you believe the apostles announcement of the resurrection, God’s grace changes who you are and what you do.

(Easter Jesus film )One story about how I have seen this play in real life: When I first started my career as a missionary and minister to college students, I was sent by our ministry to the country of Croatia. Our goal was to start a ministry at the university. This was not easy for a number of reasons, not the least was the fact that Croatia had been part of communist Yugoslavia for 50 years. So, all the students had been educated as atheists. There were no known Christians at the university and very few in the country. By God’s grace, about 30 students came to know Christ the first year. But I was not sure then how this small group of new Christians would grow and thrive in that situation. 

(Easter plan) That year at Easter, we planned a showing of the Jesus film at the university theater. In order to be able to have someone preach the gospel to interested students after the film we trained Nenad, a first year student who had been a Christian just a few months. We expected about 100 students to attend the film and hoped that a small group of them would stay behind after the film to hear Nenad share the gospel.

(the night) On the night of the showing the theater quickly filled up with students. I asked my teammate David if he thought we were okay letting students sit in the aisles. It was packed with around 500 students. They watched the film, which is a depiction of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke, very attentively.

(Nenad closes) Nenad stood up after the film and said, “Thank you for coming. You are free to leave. It a few minutes I am going to share briefly how you can have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.”  So, then we stepped aside to make room for the flood of people that would exit. No one moved.

(I doubt)I ran down to the stage to make sure Nenad had given the students the option to leave. I did not understand Croatian well enough. I almost lost it when Nenad said, “No Trent, I already invited them to leave if they wish.”

(Gospel pres and response) Nenad shared simply that Jesus Christ’ life, death and resurrection were the only hope for our sin and invited his fellow students to turn from trusting in themselves and accept Jesus Christ as their LORD and Savior. There was a great response. We were absolutely blown away by what we had been a part of.

(Connect to point) The grace of God was changing students as surely as Jesus has risen from the dead. It was not the affect of just a new idea but the announcement of the death and resurrection of Christ that started to change the lives of the students in Croatia.

(Restate) So, the first thing we need to know for the resurrection to make a difference in our life is that it changes our view of the gospel and of God’s grace. It is not just an idea or a teaching; it is the announcement of what the Son of God has done in real time in our place.

b.     The second difference that the resurrection makes is that it gives us a different understanding of our ultimate future hope.

The resurrection made it known that the hope we have is not just our souls escaping hell. It is a foretaste of our future resurrection when we and the world are transformed into glorified physical existence.

(Jewish and Biblical thought) When Jewish people taught about the resurrection of the dead in Jesus and Paul’s day, what were they talking about? They were not just talking about life after death. For example, passages like Ezekiel 34 we part of their teaching that one day God was going to restore creation and all God’s people in a general resurrection.

 But, when Jesus resurrected bodily from the dead, this greatly expanded the future hope for the people of God. Suddenly it became much clearer. The promised kingdom of God is both a spiritual and physical reality. The hope they could have was not just their nation prospering or their souls escaping hell when they died, it was the promise and foretaste of a new heavens and new earth, a glorious second resurrection.  They were talking about a restoration of all creation and all God’s people into a glorious new one. This is what some theologians call “life after- life after death”. Paul touches on this in verses 20-25:

I Corinthians 15:20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.

(New end or goal) So, the end of the Christian life, the goal or destination if you will, is not disembodied spiritual existence. It is glorified physical existence in the fully established kingdom of God. This hope may be beyond our full comprehension, but it is clearly more than a vague hope. It is something directly along the lines of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, which is a wonderful thing.

(Jesus in his resurrection body and us) In his resurrected and glorified body Jesus walked through walls and ate broiled fish. He touched people and ascended back into the presence of God the father in heaven. In the same way, in the promised future resurrection of all God’s people and the restoration of all creation we are going to walk, talk, eat, drink, hug, and sing.

(Restate) So, the resurrection of Jesus gives us new understanding and new hope of our own future resurrection. We now look forward to life-after, life after death.

3.     What are some things we need to do in light of this understanding of the resurrection?

a.     We talked about how the resurrections changes the gospel from just an idea to an accomplishment – So, if you are not yet a Christian, like my friend Daniel, he likes this teaching on working for justice but he does not like this one about universal truth…you now have a real focus to your quest, did Jesus really rise from the dead? Why worry about what he said?

Kelller in Reason for God

“The issue on which everything hangs is not whether or not you like his teaching but whether or not he rose from the dead.” Maybe you need to change your search from just a theoretical one to a historical one?

b.     The Apostle Paul challenges to do something in light of the resurrection at the end of 1  Corinthians 15 concludes with a strong exhortation, verses 56-58,

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

“Be steadfast”, For people in Atlanta today I think this might actually mean we need to relax. Because in light of the resurrection, we don’t have to be afraid that we are going to miss out.

If you believe that Jesus’ resurrection assures you your future resurrection, a wonderful, physical life after-life after death, then you don’t have to regret missing out on things. You can get rid of your bucket list. You can say no to good things that might be too much for you right now. You can let people impose on your plans. You can sacrifice your time and money for others because you have a better, incomparable future waiting for you.

If you believe in the resurrection you can live with no regrets – you don’t have to worry about grabbing the best of everything this life has to offer because you am sure I have a future that far outshines them all.

 Nothing you have or can ever experience in this life can even compare to what we are promised in the resurrection.

But, On the other hand, Paul said, that the resurrection calls us “to always aboud in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord, your labor is not in vain.”

So, the resurrection means you need to go for it in whatever the Lord has called you to do, because you are not going to end up empty handed. At times you might feel like your one of the workers in my factory illustration. That is okay, by the grace of God accomplished and guaranteed in the resurrection, you know that your life work in not futile.

The Bible calls all of us to abound, or overflow in fruitful work; caring, teaching; loving because we know that, in the resurrection, our labor is not in vain. It does and always will matter.

4.     Last question, why do we need to work on these things?

(Personal) I want you to imagine how your life might look as the resurrection start making a bigger difference – you could live a more solid, fruitful life – not too frantic and driven and not too lethargic and passive. If you are feeling empty or low on hope, looking back to the resurrection of Jesus Christ and forward to your own resurrection with him could change the way you live right now.

(Corporate) We have a vision of our church growing and making a big difference in the heart of Atlanta. But it will never happen if we offer just ideas about God.

This will never happen if we offer just a vague future hope. We need to be a movement known for reminding Atlanta that the resurrection of Christ changes everything by laying down our lives in joyful sacrifice. We need to convince our city by our contentment, by our not having to pursue every possible comfort or security available, of the incredible future that is in store in the resurrection to come.

 Let us pray,

Father, thank  you for the cross and the empty tomb of our Lord Jesus. Thank you that he has risen and assures us that if we believe in Him we too someday will rise. Lord, help us individually and as a community and movement in this city live out the hope we have in you. In Jesus name, Amen.